Last night, Mark Kennedy and Danny Butterfield were dismissed as head coach and assistant head coach by Lincoln City after 17 months at Sincil Bank.
All eras have their moments – good and bad – and I thought it would be fitting to write a piece summarising the best moments from the Mark Kennedy era. It may have ended sooner than any of us would’ve thought but there has been some great memories under the Irish head coach and it feels right to look back at them.
Ipswich 0-1 City
It feels only right to start with a game, that, in many ways, perfectly sums up Mark’s time at the club. It was the first time we really dug in under Mark and got an impressive result away against a top side. Everything was stacked against us, Ipswich came into that particular game unbeaten at home, and what makes the win even more impressive, is that they went on to gain promotion and are now fighting at the top end of the Championship. It was a ‘Mark Kennedy masterclass’ and it was a game plan we’d end up succeeding with so many times throughout the 22/23 campaign.
As a fanbase, we started to feel united again after a tough year under Michael Appleton, so it felt like more than a win. Mark won the hearts of many that had underestimated him that day.
Southampton 2-1 City
Facing Premier League opposition is always special, and when Mark led us out at Southampton away from home, it was no different. We had a really tough run of away games in the Carabao Cup in 22/23, but we ended up getting to the Quarter Finals for the first time and that is an achievement we can never away from him. We did ourselves proud on the South Coast that night, it started with taking the lead and ended with a defeat but it was a game that could’ve gone either way, but as a fanbase we ignored the result and gave the management team the kudos they deserved.
Everyone played their part that night, Paudie O’Connor opened the scoring and we defended valiantly but we can’t forget the Max Sanders masterclass in midfield. I still sometimes wonder if England international, James Ward-Prowse, still has nightmares about him.
Accrington 0-3 City
This is a game that many of you may not have put in your most memorable moments of the Mark era but for me it’s right up there. We had a tough Christmas period, we lost heavily on Boxing Day to Burton Albion before struggling in January, with poor performances against the likes of MK Dons and Cambridge. We made good moves in the transfer window, but the majority came late. Dylan Duffy, Luke Plange, Mide Shodipo and Harry Boyes all came in, but as we approached the Accrington game, all the talk was about one of the new signings in paticular, Ethan Erhahon.
Coming in from St. Mirren for a big fee (reportedly), the expectation was high and he delivered straight away. We travelled to Accrington, hoping for three points, and what we got was exactly that but alongside one of our best performances of the season. Ben House, Sean Roughan and Teddy Bishop were on the score sheet but all the attention was on Erhahon after an incredible debut.
It was our first win of 2023, and it felt like we’d turned a corner under Mark’s management after a tough few months.
Plymouth 0-2 City
The 22/23 season saw us unbeaten against the divisions top four sides – Plymouth, Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley – but most of our games against those sides were hard fought wins and draws but our trip down to Plymouth was the complete opposite. We dominated the league leaders, and if a neutral was watching that a game, they’d have guessed we were the ones who would go on to get promoted that season.
Carl Rushworth, Lasse Sorensen and Shodipo combined for one of the goals of the season, before Regan Poole thought he’d made it two-nil. The skipper’s goal got disallowed but it didn’t dampen City’s spirits as we went on to add a second through House and take all three points back to Lincolnshire. We could’ve easily won by five or six that day, and as the season drew to a close, it really felt like we were going in the right direction.
Carabao Cup 23/24 (Sheffield United + West Ham)
It doesn’t feel right in some ways that we were talking about European champions West Ham United coming to Sincil Bank less than a month ago, and now we are looking for a new head coach. Football moves fast, and although Mark leaves in October, he has made us all memories this season with our Carabao Cup run.
After beating Notts County away from home, we got drawn against Premier League opposition in the form of Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. We went to Sheffield believing we could get a win, and we did just that. It was an unreal night, that will stay with many of us forever. The penalty shootout in front of a packed out away end was special. We then struck gold with a home tie against West Ham in the next round and although we came away losers in that game, we were all proud of the team, and in those type of games that’s always the most important part.
Final Thoughts
There has been some great moments under the management of Mark Kennedy. For me, our win at Bramall Lane is probably the top of that list, but there are loads more I haven’t even mentioned. We all wanted this to work, but unfortunately his time at City has come to end prematurely.
There are memories that we’ll remember fondly from the past 17 months and finally, I wish Mark and Danny all the luck in their future endeavours away from Lincoln City.